Innovating Electricity Distribution in Europe

Smarter Distribution Grids

From "passive" to "active" Smart Distribution Grids

Introducing new coordination mechanisms that improve control on demand and balancing, by dynamically configuring the behaviour of players, reliably and in real time.

From the DSO-perspective, operation of electricity grids is based on historical realizations, where it is assumed that users have a behavior that can be only subject to a statistical analysis with a margin defined at design time. From the trade perspective, only meter data from a part of the aggregated customers in the portfolio contribute to the forecast in the portfolio. Evolving toward active distribution requires that all actors in distribution, from system operators to consumers, are given the opportunity of offering their valued contribution to optimal and sustainable electric grid processes.

DREAM aims to tackle operation issues for Distribution Networks with a novel approach in the operational process such as new tools for operator coordinated with semi-autonomous automation system of the network enabling the participation of Decentralized Energy Resources.

Applying the principles of autonomous agent-based systems to the control and management of the electricity distribution grid will allow the system to constantly adjust to current operational conditions and make it robust to exogenous disturbances. In turn, this will:

allow for greater penetration of intermittent resources and

make the distribution grid more resilient to failures.

DREAM includes several layers of controls for normal, congested and post-contingency situations to:

use different coordination strategies, ranging from market-based transactions to emergency demand response and

create ad-hoc federations of agents that will flexibly adjust their hierarchy to current needs.